I went to get plastic surgery on my nose. I left feeling crummy about my entire face.

Gracia Lam for BI

Every time I visit South Korea, where my parents emigrated from six years before I was born, I am plagued with anxieties about my appearance.

I developed the habit the first time I visited, when I was 14 and my family offered me double eyelid surgery as a middle school graduation gift. They urged me not to take offense. These procedures, performed 200,000 times a year in the world capital of cosmetic surgery, are common rewards for young Koreans with good grades.

By then...